SCHENGEN VISA

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Context

• In 2022, Indians reportedly spent over Rs 87 crores trying to get a Schengen Visa for their Europe trips.
• However, as per new data released, India become the second country with the highest rejection rate for the Schengen Visa last year.

Schengen Visa

• A Schengen visa is an official document mandatory for some non-Europeans to travel to all the 27 countries which are part of the Schengen area.
• Once granted, this visa allows the traveler to cross the borders of the other member-states without going through identity checks at the border.
• There are several types of Schengen visa but the most common (the short-stay visa) allows to travel/stay for 90 days maximum over a 6-month period starting from the entry date stated on the visa.

What is the Schengen area?

• The Schengen Area, or Schengen Countries Zone, is a group of 27 European nations that have abolished border controls between each other.
• These include France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Poland, and Scandinavian nations, but not the U.K. and Ireland.
• Most European Union (EU) countries are signatories to the Schengen Agreement, although some non-Schengen countries, like Bulgaria and Romania, are signed up but not yet active members and merely obliged to join in the future.
• Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway are not in the EU but are inside of the Schengen Area.

Here is the complete list of 27 countries members of the Schengen zone:

Which European countries are not part of the Schengen area?

• Although 27 countries are inside the Schengen Zone, including most nations in mainland Europe - not every European state is inside the area where border checks have been abolished. Countries we associate with Europe that aren’t in the Schengen Zone:

• The microstates of Andorra, Monaco, and Vatican City are also not members - but are considered as de facto inside the area, as they do not impose border controls.
• Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Cyprus are also outside of the Schengen Zone but are legally obliged to join as members of the European Union at some point in the future.

Who needs a visa to enter Europe?

• Most non-European citizens (particularly from Africa, Russia, India, and China) need a Schengen visa to enter one of the Schengen member states.
• Some countries, such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and Japan, have signed a visa waiver agreement with the European Union. This means that their nationals don’t need a visa to enter Europe if their visit doesn’t exceed 90 days.
• However, residents, and not yet citizens, of such countries will need a Schengen visa if they are originally from countries that haven’t signed this waiver agreement.

What are the different types of Schengen visas?

Type A Schengen visa - Airport Transit Visa

• The type A visa (Airport Transit Visa) allows citizens of non-Schengen states to transit through or wait for their connecting flight in the international zone of an airport located in a Schengen country.
• It is compulsory for those traveling from a non-Schengen country to another non-Schengen country and who have to connect flights to the airport of a Schengen country. The holder of a type A visa is not allowed to enter the said Schengen country.

Type B Schengen visa

• The type B visa relates to journeys lasting fewer than five days has been replaced by type “C” with the condition “transit".

Type C Schengen visa

• The short-stay Schengen visa is the most common one. It is issued by the visa services (embassies, consulates, appointed external providers) of a country belonging to the Schengen area.
• It allows the holder to stay or travel freely in the Schengen area for less than 90 days over a 180-day period.
• According to the purpose of one’s trip, the short-stay category C Schengen visa can be a single-entry, a double-entry or a multiple-entry.

Type D Schengen visa

• The national visa is the type D long-stay Schengen visa. It is mandatory for any foreigner wishing to study, work or live in a Schengen country for longer than 90 days (up to 1 year).

Where to apply for a Schengen visa?

• To apply for a Schengen visa, one needs to contact the consular authorities of the Schengen country one wishes to visit.
• To apply for a Schengen Visa, Indians need to submit a fee of Rs 7,200 or 80 Euros.

https://www.timesnownews.com/world/indians-paid-over-rs-87-crores-for-schengen-visa-becomes-2nd-country-with-highest-rejection-rate-report-article-101647489